SOCIAL SCIENCE
ANTHROPOLOGIST
ARCHAEOLOGIST
CURATOR
HISTORIAN
SOCIOLOGIST
Anthropologist
Do you want to trace your roots
back in History? Does everything old fascinate you? Are you curious to know how
people in the olden ages lived - their ways and culture? If you are the
inquisitive kind with a quest for the unknown then you were born to be an
Anthropologist.
As an Anthropologist you'll study human beings -
their physical character, evolutionary history, racial classification,
historical and present day geographic distribution, group relationships and
cultural History. And in between all this if you happen to take a look at your
bank balance, you won't be disappointed.
Anthropology can be characterised
as the study and interpretation of diverse people and culture around the world.
It's the science concerned with the study of the evolution of humankind. As an
anthropologist you'll study and compare present and past societies and
cultures. Writing and presenting reports on your findings is a part of your job
profile.
One aspect of the job involves
extensive fieldwork - living with and studying different cultures of people
from different societies. You have to observe and record family and group
relationships and activities. Information gathered is on the basis of
behaviour, language and biology of the societies.
All this is done to find out more
about societies; how they developed, what were the causes that lead them to
develop, and test new ideas, which may help to improve the present societies we
live in. As an anthropologist you'll write and present your research findings
to the concerned party for whom the research is carried out. You can even
advice government departments and private organisations on cultural matters and
the concerns of different people.
The elementary branches in
Anthropology are:
Social Anthropology: It deals
only with the social formation and history of a society. Anthropologists here study
the different cultural groups and trace the cultural evolution and patterns of
change over a period of time.
Psychological Anthropology: It's a branch of anthropology that
deals with the links between an individual and his culture. It uses psychology
to analyse the different behavioural patterns of individuals of the same
culture.
Cultural Anthropology: It uses
archaeology, ethnography, ethnology, folklore, and languages to study different
cultures of the diverse peoples of the world. Cultural anthropologists study
socio-economic changes, changes in value systems in various societies, cultural
difference and the origin of such difference, evolution of languages, man-woman
relations in human societies in different cultures over the years, etc.
Physical or Biological
Anthropology: It deals with physical and biological nature and
characteristics of humans, chimps, gorillas, monkeys, etc., their past links
and present conditions.
Archaeological Anthropology:
Archaeological anthropologists analyse and study human
civilisations, their origin and development by excavating the preserved
historical remains of the past civilisations. They then outline how people of
ancient civilisations lived, the tools they used, various societal relations
that existed, their rituals, clothes, accessories, etc. The outcome of their
work is a clear picture of ancient human civilisation. Some other interesting
sub disciplines in which you can specialise:
Osteology: the study
of bones and skeletal remains
Paleoanthropology: the study
of old dead primates of the ancient world. It includes study of both human and
non-human primates.
Forensic Anthropology: analysing
bones or skeletal remains of human in cases of legal importance.
Linguistic Anthropology: analysing
origin and development of various languages, phonetics in the world.
Mostly anthropologists keep regular
office hours except during field research when they have to work outside under
difficult conditions.
Requirements
Above all, you should have patience
and perseverance - a career in anthropology is essentially a research based
career. You need to have at least an M. Sc. in Anthropology. However, a PhD in
anthropology is preferred. For a B.Sc. in anthropology, you must have cleared
the intermediate level examination, with a background in science.
Job Opportunities
You can find work in the following
institutions:
Most of the opportunities are as
teaching faculty and research fellows in university departments.
Money & Other Benefits
University professor: Rs
12,000-13,000 per month (gross salary for beginners) and could rise up to Rs
25,000 a month.
Government departments: Rs 10,000
per month in the beginning, inclusive of all allowances (starting salary)
Anthropological Survey of India: Rs
8,000, exclusive of all allowances.
A job abroad: $30,000-80,000 p.a.
Since almost all the jobs are
government jobs, the salary may not be very exciting. But consider the job
security and less job pressure.
Salaries in this field are hiked on
the basis of experience. You can get a maximum salary of Rs 25,000 (as of the
present scale) as a senior professor or in an equivalent rank.
Career Prospects
The career prospects for
postgraduates with sufficient research experience are very bright, especially
due to the increased awareness in human origin all over the world. However, in
India, the prospects for anthropologist are not very great, as India is not yet
very open to the idea of an anthropologist.
Archaeologist
Do you ever wonder how people in
the medievial ages lived? Was History your favourite subject in school? Does
everything old fascinate you? If the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
left an everlasting impression on you, then you should an archaeologist.
Archaeology can be an extremely
interesting field of study to quench your curiosity about the past and its
secrets. It is a multi-disciplinary science involving a great deal of training
in subjects like Chemistry, Anthropology, Geology, etc.
Learning about the past
civilisations involves knowing about every aspect - the lifestyles, the
architecture of the regions, cultural influences, etc. This makes Archaeology a
very engrossing and fulfilling career, as well as one of the most demanding and
competitive branches of social sciences.
Archaeologists in this line of work
excavate, preserve, study and classify artifacts of the near and distant past
in order to understand the ancient civilisations. It is mainly thanks to them
that all our old artifacts and objects of historic importance are preserved.
The work of an Archaeologist is very slow and meticulous. Moreover, most of the
archaelogical sites are situated in earth's extreme temperature zones. Here,
you will often have to spend hours in extreme climatic conditions carefully
dusting a fragment of a Harappan building with a toothbrush or examine
thousands of tiny, nearly identical chipped stone axes.
One of the major aspects of the job
of an Archeaologist is epigraphy. This involves taking ink impressions of
ancient inscriptions on copper plates, stupas, rocks, monuments, etc. and
decoding or deciphering them. Another equally important area of work is
numismatics, which is the study of old coins, paper money and items such as
medals for the purpose of understanding and restructuring the past.
Requirements
First of all, you got to have a
genuine interest in ancient culture and history. You need to be inquisitive (a
probing nature), perceptive and willing to work hard. Good physical stamina is
extremely important. Of course, it goes without saying that you need to be
artistically inclined.
You can take up Archaeology as one of the subjects at the B.A. level. For this
you need to have studied History in your 12th. For an two-year M.A. you need to
have completed your B.A. in Archaeology or other related areas.
You can also choose to do a
two-year post graduate diploma course at the Institute of Archaeology after an
M.A./M.Sc in archaeology or anthropology or a Masters degree in medieval or
Ancient Indian History. You will have to appear for an interview and written
exam to enroll for this course. On being admitted you become eligible for a
stipend of Rs 600 per month.
There are numerous institutions in India where you can pursue Archaeology. The
Institute of Archaeology, in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of
India (Delhi) is the best.
The study involves both theory and
training in the laboratories. A lot of stress is laid on field work where
students spend time excavating, analysing the relics and monuments, practice
procedures of preserving the items and also drawing and photography. Apart from
the hard work involved it gives you the opportunity to see what the career has
to offer before deciding on a particular area of interest.
Job Opportunities
Most Archaeologists work at major
universities teaching History, Anthropology, or in the Archaeology departments,
as this is one way to earn a living between research grants and excavations.
When they are not teaching, many Archaeologists are working on digs far from
home.
You can also find work with museums, art restoration, fine arts, etc. The
Archaeological Survey of India, which hires many people. You can also find
ample opportunities in educational/research institutions.
Money & Other Benefits
Ass. Archaeologist employed by The Archaeological
Survey of India get paid Rs 1,600-2,900 per month.
Ass. Superintending Archaeologists draw Rs 2,000-3,500 per month.
The scale for Superintending Archaeologist is Rs 3,000-4,000 per month.
When you reach the pinnacle of being the Director your salary will escalate to
Rs 3,600-5000 per month.
All the above salaries are only the basic pay. But with the recent revision in
payscales and allowances the average monthly pay at entry level works out to be
around Rs 8,000 per month.
Career Prospects
There has been a renewed interest
in the field of Archaeology. As such the scope for archaeologists in India has
only widened.
Archaeology is often paired with Anthropology. Archaeology is the study of
entire cultures and societies while Anthropology is the study of the
development of people within societies. While drawing their conclusions,
Anthropologists rely heavily on the work of Archaeologists. Individuals who no
longer wish to be Archaeologists may join any of the various disciplines, for
example, become Historians, Linguists, or Surveyors.
Curator
Have you ever been to a museum and
been fascinated by the manner in which ancient treasures and artifacts have
been preserved? Do you take great pride in India's historical and cultural background?
Well then you can preserve this interest by becoming a curator!
Archeologist will go looking for an
artifact and a curator will interpret it and preserve it. Say a wooden toy
found buried deep in the ground. As a curator you will decide if it belongs to
the Mohanjodaro era or the Chandragupta period or if someone just left it there
last spring. You will study the intricate patterns on the toy and theorise as
to the kind of tools used by people in those days. Your findings will paint the
overall picture of life during those times. Curators collect, maintain, and
protect objects of historical and aesthetic importance primarily in museums,
libraries, and private collections. They are responsible for the safety and
proper presentation of the works. It is the curator's job to document each
piece of art that comes in to the museum. This means pictures have to be taken,
piece evaluated and described and any damages that the piece might have, have
to be recorded. For this, it is necessary to diagnoise the causes of damage or
deterioration and decide on appropriate treatment. All the restoration work has
to be painstakingly recorded both in writing and through photographs and the
treatment administered should be reversible if the need arises. The work also includes
archiving these artifacts and maintaining accurate records. You will ensure
their safety and preserve them for future generations to see. If that's not
all, you will shop around and acquire relevant artifacts and also verify their
authenticity. Research is invariably a part of this profession. In these cash
strapped times, you will also have to don the marketing mantle and arrange for
funds from the government and private parties. A museum sees people both
children and adults, from different backgrounds, each one seeking information
of a different kind. As a curator you have to constantly evaluate the different
antiquities that come into the museum both in terms of their historical value
as well as how they should be presented to the common man. Appropriate display
of the object is also the work of the curator. For a good display the object
should be studied thoroughly in terms of its historical significance and
interpreted correctly. This calls for a lot of research and teamwork. Curators'
duties also include making sure that climate and pest control issues are seen
to, and at times, overseeing research on collection pieces to make certain the
integrity of the piece is maintained (such as dating tests for fossils or x-ray
analysis of paintings to determine origin).
Requirements
The varied and wide-ranging duties
of a curator require someone with a mind attuned to details. Another facet of
the curator's job is educating the public about the objects and publicising
their existence. Most literature one receives at a museum is written by a
curator. So excellent written communication skills will come handy. You also
need to have good research skills. You will be spending a lot of time working
on one particular aspect of a project. Loads of patience. In this field you
can't afford to be accident-prone as some of the stuff that you will handle may
be worth million of rupees! If you have good negotiating skills you will be an
asset to your museum when exchange of artifacts with other museums comes into
the picture. Apart from an extensive knowledge of history and art, it is useful
to have a basic understanding of chemistry, restoration techniques, museum
studies, and even physics and public relations. Curators must have basic skills
in aesthetic design, organizational behavior, business, fundraising, and
publicity. You need to have a master's degree in Museology or Museum Science.
These are offered at select institutes such as National Museology Institute of
Delhi, MS University, Baroda, etc or Master's in a relevant subject say History
or Anthropology.
Job Opportunities
There is scope for all kinds of
people in a museum. If you are academic and research oriented you can work with
objects. The more outgoing types with good communication skills can interact
with the public dishing out information about the objects. The entry point into
a museum is usually as a senior curatorial assistant. Job involves overseeing
the day-to-day functioning of the museum, looking after the artifacts, etc. As
you grow in experience, you will be involved in the various projects that the
museum is involved in. The next level is that of assistant curator and then a
curator. You may be required to go into the field to the excavation sites to
assist archaeologists. At a senior level, you will be involved in research and
developing expertise in a particular area say weapons or across a broad era.
Eventually you are required to be a leading authority on the subject of your
specialisation. When that happens your opinion will be sought after the world
over. You can always take up a teaching job and even write a book. Freelancing
for private collectors is another lucrative option.
Money & Other Benefits
Most of the museums in India are
government-owned. Your salary structure will be along the lines of a college
professor, which going by the current scale is not bad. Starting salaries are
in the range of Rs 6,000 - 8000 and can work its way up to Rs 22,000 a month.
More than money it is the recognition of peers that most curators crave for.
Career Prospects There is a
resource crunch as far as museums in India are concerned. Also most museums are
in a state of neglect. So be prepared for hard times ahead. Of course if you
land yourself a job handling the Indian heritage section at the London museum
then its all rosy from then on!
Historian
Are you one of the very few who
actually read History regularly and not just before the exam? Are you
fascinated by the way people of Mahen-Jo-Daro and Harappa lived or the
development of civilisation at the banks of the river Nile? Do you get excited
about the prospects of finding out a lost empire somewhere below our feet? Did
you say yes? But would how about doing it for a living? If you think you can,
then you have a good career option. Become a historian.
Historians trace our past. They are
involved in collecting evidence of the past, studying and describing past
civilizations, societies, culture, life style, customs, values, warfare,
technology, and economy. They find out about how human beings lived through the
ages since the beginning of its origin. They also study political systems,
wars, administrative systems, and civil systems of different dynasties and
empires.
Historians identify and study
various evidences like artifacts, architectural relics, remnants of monuments,
remnants of buildings, old coins, fossils, ancient books, inscription on
stones, rocks, temples, idols of God, metal plates, cave drawings by ancient
men, remnants of past civilisations, and records of historical events. They
analyze the evidence and draw a conclusion about the events that had occurred
in the past.
As a historian, you can specialise
in various areas like Ancient History (deals with pre-historic age and the
early civilization generally from 5000 BC to 1000 AD), Medieval History (deals
with history of the middle age generally from 1000 AD to 1600 AD), and Modern
History (deals with history of post 16th Century AD). There are other options
available like American history, Islamic history, European history, and History
of India's freedom movement.
You can also specialise in various
occupational areas like Archeology, Epigraphy, Numismatics, Archival science,
etc.
Archaeologists identify historical
site, excavate, study, analyze, interpret, and preserve historical remains of the
ancient civilizations and remnants of the past and develop detailed profiles of
past civilisations. They tell us how people lived in the past, technology used
by them, their culture, their food habits, the utensils used by the people, the
clothes and accessories used by them, their societies, and other relevant
facts. They draw a clear picture of the past, which help us to understand it
better.
Numismatists analyze the coins
recovered from archeological ruins. Rulers of the past used to produce coins bearing
inscription. Inscription of many types are found. For example, the visage of
the king, a picture depicting an important incident, the period of one's
dynasty, visage of one's beloved queen or child, visage of God, etc.
Numismatists analyze the inscription to find out about the history behind the
coins. For example, an inscription of Shiva found on the coins of Maurya period
suggests that God Shiva used to be worshipped during the rules of the Maurya.
Existence of a country's coin in another country suggests that those two
countries had some trade or cultural links.
Epigraphists are also involved in
study of inscriptions but they specialise in inscription on various materials
like stone, metal plaques, walls of cave, walls of ancient temples, monuments
other than coin. The epigraphists study inscriptions and analyse to find out
the history.
Archivists are concerned with
manuscripts and other types of historical records. They study books and other
documents of the past, which are excellent sources for finding out the history.
Museologists are involved with
forms and nature of museum collection, restoration of the collection whenever
necessary, conservation of the collection, exhibition, and maintenance of
museums.
As a historian, you will mainly
work in academic environment as researcher. Jobs in museums and historical
survey organisations are very few. As a researcher, you will be involved in
study and research. There are scopes for field trips also if you are an
archeologist, numismatist, or epigraphist.
If you are an archeologist, you may
have to live in unfriendly and foreign environment for some time in excavation
work or field trips. Often archeological excavation or related work is carried out
in places far away from city or even villages. You will have opportunities to
travel to foreign lands for archeological work or for studies.
Requirements
History is mainly an academic
career and as in other such careers, you will be involved in studies throughout
your life. So you must have a keen interest in studies and of course in
History. You should have an academic orientation and be prepared to acquire
higher qualifications.
History also needs you write a lot.
So you got to have good written communication skills. You should have an
excellent memory to remember facts and dates. Moreover, historical research
need long hours and days. So you must have patience and perseverance.
Academic qualification wise, you
will need at least an MA in History/Archeology/related area or a post graduate
diploma in Archeology to get an entry level job in History related fields. You
can also get an entry level job in teaching with your MA degree.
But if you want a really successful
and rewarding career, then you must obtain a Ph.D in History/Archeology. If you
are a lecturer in a university department or a college, you will need a Ph.D
for promotion to higher posts. You will also do well if you go for
post-doctoral fellowships at universities in UK or USA.
Job Opportunities
* University departments and
colleges
* Archeological Survey of India as
Epigraphic Assistant, Curator, Technical Assistant, Archeologist depending on
your specialization
* Historical research organizations
like Indian Council for Historical Research as Technical Assistant, Research
Associate, Research Fellow, Archivists, etc.
* Nationally important libraries
and documents centre like National Archives as an Assistant Archivist.
* Museums as Technical Assistants,
Assistant curator, etc.
Money & Other Benefits
After your MA, if you join
teaching, you will be paid about Rs 12,000 - 14,000 a month to begin with. If
you join a university department as a research fellow, then you will get about
Rs 6,000 a month. In other jobs, you are paid in the range of Rs 5,000 - 7,000
per month in the beginning.
If you join in research positions
after your Ph.D, then you will be paid in the range of Rs 12,000 - 14,000 a
month. As of the present scale of salary, the maximum you can earn in all these
jobs is Rs 25,000 a month as a Director of an organisation. However, the salary
scale is likely to be revised very soon.
Career Prospects
There is not much to say about future prospects but
academic and research jobs are gradually becoming very lucrative in India in
line with the trends in developed countries like USA. If you venture abroad to
USA or UK, then your career can become very exciting as the work as a historian
there has become technology and tool oriented. Fields like Archeology, Archival
Science offer good opportunities. Getting a good job in India is very
competitive as the number of opportunities is very limited.
Sociologist
Sociology is the study of social life, social change,
social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists investigate the
structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact
within these contexts.
Since all human behavior is social,
the subject matter of sociology ranges from the intimate family to the hostile
mob; from organized crime to religious cults; from the divisions of race,
gender and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture; and from the
sociology of work to the sociology of sports. In fact, few fields have such
broad scope and relevance for research, theory, and application of knowledge.
Sociologists
· research social interaction and social issues such as ethnic relations,
gender and social inequalities
· conduct surveys, interviews, field observations and other investigations into
society
· analyse and interprets information
· develop and tests theories about society
· write reports on research findings
· may advise government, businesses or local authorities on social policy
· may teach sociology
Many students choose sociology because they see it as a broad liberal arts base
f or professions such as education, social work, and counseling. Sociology
provides a rich fund of knowledge that directly pertains to each of these
fields.
Sociologists can specialize in families, adolescence, or children; the urban
community; education; health and medicine; aging and the life course; work and
occupations; the environment, science, and technology; economics, social
inequality, and social class; race relations, ethnicity, and minorities; sex
and gender; sports; culture and the arts; politics, the military, peace, and
war; crime, delinquency, law, and justice; social change and social movements;
and any other area of human organization. College and university courses
reflect these interests, as well as research methods and theory building.
Some of the most fascinating subjects explored by sociologists include:
Sex and gender: Do men and women have different hiring, employment, and
promotion experiences? This would be a research question for a sociologist
specializing in how sex and gender affect the workplace.
Medical sociology: How is AIDS
transmitted (and thus prevented) in different subgroups of the population? How
has public opinion about AIDS shifted? These are the concerns of medical
sociologists.
Organizations and occupations:
Which management styles increase productivity and worker satisfaction would
engage the attention of an organizational sociologist.
Family: Are children of divorced
parents more likely to divorce, or to reject marriage themselves? What factors
predict whether abused children would fare better in foster care or reunited
with their birth family? These would be possible subjects for a family
sociologist.
Sociologists work in offices, libraries and their own homes. They may work for
community groups, schools, polytechnics, universities, government departments
or local government. They may travel locally to different clients and to carry
out research. They may also travel to conferences overseas.
Sociologists need skills in
analysing and interpreting information, planning and organisational ability,
and an eye for detail. They also need research skills, written and oral
communication skills, and an ability to think critically about the social
world.
Knowledge
Sociologists need to know about research methods, theories of society and
social issues and differences in gender and cultural and religious beliefs.
They also need to know about up-to-date information and research.
Personal Qualities
Sociologists need to be accurate, enquiring, adaptable, culturally sensitive,
open-minded and imaginative.
Education wise there are a number of possibilities:
One, you can acquire an MA in Sociology to make a beginning. You will do better
with a Ph. D.
Two, you can have a MA/M.Sc. in Psychology and later do a Ph. D in Sociology.
Three, you can have a MSW (Master of Social Work) to get a job. You will of
course do better if you acqu ire a Ph. D after MSW.
Four, you can have a MA/ M. Sc. in Anthropology and then do a Ph. D in
Sociology.
Five, you can be a Master/ MA in Population Studies and then do a Ph. D in
Sociology.
Six, you can have an MA in Political Science or International Relations or
Defence Studies and then a Ph. D in Sociology.
Job Opportunities
People with degrees in sociology
may enter many careers, and the options are increasing.
· Sociologists teach in colleges and universities, advising students,
conducting research, and publishing their work.
· Sociologists enter the corporate, non-profit, and government worlds as
directors of research, policy analysts, consultants, human resource managers,
and programme managers.
· Practicing sociologists with advanced degrees may be called research
analysts, survey researchers, gerontologists, statisticians, urban planners,
community developers, criminologists, or demographers.
· Some MA and PhD sociologists obtain specialized training to become
counselors, therapists, or program directors in social service agencies.
Today, sociologists embark upon literally hundreds of career paths. Although
teaching and conducting research remains the dominant activity among
sociologists today, other forms of employment are growing both i n number and
significance. In some sectors, sociologists work closely with economists,
political scientists, anthropologists, psychologists, social workers, and
others, reflecting a growing appreciation of sociology's contributions to
interdisciplinary analysis and action.
Money & Other Benefits
In academic positions, i.e., in
research and teaching, one gets about Rs. 12,000 a month in the beginning to
about Rs. 25,000 a month in senior positions.
In industries, though the opportunities are very few, a Sociologist can get
about Rs. 12,000 a month in the beginning and move up to Rs. 50,000 or more a
month in senior positions.
In Governments and Government agencies, one can get about Rs. 10,000 a month in
the beginning, moving up to about Rs. 30,000 a month in senior positions.
In NGOs, one can get anything between Rs. 6,000 - 8,000 a month in the
beginning moving up to Rs. 25,000 a month or even more in a senior level.
Career Prospects
The future appears bright for sociologists. The next
century may be the most exciting and critical period in the field's history.
There is an increased awareness to understand, improve or solve problems like
alcoholism or unemployment, and problems that affect societies, like ethnic
conflict or environmental pollution. Some of the best employment prospects may
be in policy research and administration, in clinical and applied sociological
practice, as well as in the traditional areas of teaching and basic research.
During the last part of this century, the demand for college professors should
increase.
Since its subject matter is intrinsically fascinating, sociology offers
valuable preparation for careers in journalism, politics, public relations,
business, or public administration--fields that involve investigative skills
and working with diverse groups.
All this makes for an optimistic employment picture for s ociology graduates.
Because of its appeal as a career that is intrinsically fascinating and allows
one to contribute to the common good, many talented people are drawn to
sociology. The field remains exciting and competitive.